


Peach Scone

by beyourmythical-bitch (dip_the_pip)



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Accidental Pregnancy, Alcohol Mentions, Angst, College Rhett and Link, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Homophobia, Homophobic Slurs, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, no jessie or christy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-01-27 11:22:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21391330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dip_the_pip/pseuds/beyourmythical-bitch
Summary: Link lets Rhett use him, despite being in love with him for most of his life.(original title: So, Pizza?)
Relationships: Link Neal/Original Male Character(s), Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal, Rhett McLaughlin/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 49
Kudos: 108





	1. Chapter 1

He feels like he’s being crushed in the greatest way possible. Rhett’s over him, holding him against the uncomfortable mattress as he thrusts into the warmth of Link.

When Rhett comes home with an itch he needs to scratch, there’s barely a conversation between them anymore. He doesn’t tell Link to stretch himself while he goes to take a shower to wash off a day of classes and maybe a quick trip to the gym if he had the energy. He doesn’t tell Link to be face down, ass up when he gets back from the shower, either, but he always is, and Rhett’s thankful for that.

No discussions. No questions, no comments. Nothing.

Rhett will grab a rubber on his way over to Link on the bottom bunk waiting for him. He’ll roll it on, pin Link’s arms above his head or off to the sides, sometimes Rhett will barely touch him at all. Other times Rhett can barely keep his hands off of Link warm, tanned skin. Those nights usually involve a lot of alcohol, though.

Usually it’s rough, like today, but there are the rare occasions that Rhett is gentle, soft, and Link’s certain he’s felt the wetness of tears drip down his back during those times.

He feels dull fingernails dig into his soft hips as Rhett speeds up his thrusts, searching for his release. Link moans into the pillow his face is partially buried in as his cock rubs harshly against the sheets where it’s trapped between his stomach and the mattress. He can’t move though, not with Rhett holding him in place.

He jolts as he feels Rhett’s large hand smack down against his ass roughly, causing him to clench hard around the thick cock buried inside him.

He hears the soft mutters from Rhett about him being close, so, so close before he feels Rhett tense up behind him. Because of the condom, he doesn’t feel much, but he can feel when Rhett starts to come back to reality.

Rhett’s quick to pull out, roll and tie off the condom, and get redressed before Link’s even managed to get his hand between his body and the mattress to get himself off, since Rhett didn’t seem too concerned with that aspect of the deal.

Rhett throws a t-shirt in Link’s general direction. “Nasty, man. Do that in your own bunk,” He hears Rhett mumble before he leaves their bedroom.

Link ignores him, rolling onto his back and working his hand over himself quickly to get off so he can move on with his day.

Once pearly white cum shoots onto his stomach, he reaches for a tissue to clean himself off. He tosses it in the bin before pulling on sweatpants and a dirty hoodie, not bothering to pick up the shirt his taller friend had thrown at him.

Rhett’s sitting on the couch when he comes out of the bedroom, reading through one of his textbooks casually like he wasn’t just balls-deep in his best friend. “I’m thinkin’ pizza tonight?” He asks, barely offering Link a glance.

Link swallows thickly, crossing his arms over his chest and sighing. He felt dirty. Scummy. He usually did when Rhett was done using him. “Goin’ over to a classmates place to work on a project.” He lies, his gaze trained on the floor.

“Oh, alright then.” He still doesn’t look up from his textbook, so Link grabs his own backpack and throws it over his shoulder. He slips his shoes on and leaves the apartment as fast as he can.

He doesn’t go far; he mostly just walks around campus. He does stop into a little café, though, and gets himself a coffee and a muffin for his walk back to the apartment.

It’s darker now, a few hours have passed, and he figures it’s safe to go back home. What he doesn’t expect is to walk into the apartment and hearing someone, a girl, moaning loudly. He knows he should turn around and walk out, pretend like he heard nothing, but he can’t help himself from walking into the apartment more. They’re not on the couch, thankfully, but that only leaves one other place for them.

Link is quiet as he walks through the apartment. The bedroom door is cracked open slightly, and the moans get louder as he gets closer. He can also hear Rhett’s soft grunts too, and he’s brought back to only hours ago when Rhett was making those sounds because of him, because of what Link could do for him.

Now there’s a girl there, in Link’s spot. Well, mostly. Rhett’s not ashamed of what he’s doing with her, so he can fuck her in missionary. Her back slightly arches against he bed as her head tips back onto the pillow Link was moaning into earlier.

He can’t really see Rhett besides his hands running up and down her sides and occasionally over her breasts, and the girl moving because of his hard thrusts.

He has no right to be jealous, Link knows that. He knew what he agreed to when Rhett first brought this up. Link had come out to him when they were 16 and 17 years old. A year later on a camping trip with too much alcohol in their systems, Rhett asked if he could fuck Link. Link agreed, of course, to help out his best friend, and to fill the hole in his heart that Rhett had spend years carving out. He thought maybe one night with Rhett would put his silly little crush to rest, but of course it didn’t.

Link would never initiate anything; it was always Rhett. It started out very rarely at first, mostly when Rhett was going through dry spells.

When he was dating and messing around with pretty girl’s he could bring home to his mama, he didn’t need Link anymore. Well, more like he didn’t need Link’s ass.

Then, after a particularly hard breakup, it began happening more frequently. Rhett would call him in the middle of the night from his parent’s house so they could hop in Link’s truck and drive into a field far away from their families and fuck like their lives depended on it. And in some way, it did for both of them.

Link watches as the girl reaches between her legs to help herself get off, and he feels like now he has to look away.

He walks back to the front door of the apartment and sighs softly to himself before opening and shutting the door loudly, so Rhett would know he’s home.

He hears Rhett’s shushes as the bedroom door clicks shut. He can hear the girl giggling, and he can only assume they’re finishing up.

Not too much longer passes before Rhett comes out of the bedroom with the girl and walks her out to her car. When he comes back in, he’s grinning. “So, how about that pizza?”


	2. Chapter 2

Weeks pass more or less the same. The only difference now is that when Rhett finishes up, he leaves the apartment as fast as possible. He’ll usually return drunk with a pretty girl on his arm and will ask Link to give them some privacy.

Link leaves the apartment for a few hours and thankfully, the girl is gone by the time he gets back every time.

Once Rhett cleans up the bedroom, they’ll lounge in the living room, maybe with a blowjob or a handy thrown in there, until they get up to get ready for bed.

One day, though, Link puts his foot down. Rhett’s just come home from class and is tense from a midterm. He walks into their bedroom and pulls his t-shirt off. “Neal, 10 minutes,” He says as he walks out and towards their bathroom.

Link’s up top on his own bed, reading a book. “No,”

Rhett stops abruptly in the hall, turning around and walking back to the room. “What?”

“No, I’m going out. Actually, I have a date,” He says smugly with a small smirk, seeing Rhett’s shoulders tense out of the corner of his eye.

“I still fuck you when I have dates,”

Link sits up in his bed now, being careful to slouch as to not his head his on the ceiling. “No, you have hook-ups. You don’t ‘do’ dates. You only do fucks.” He closes his book and sets it beside him.

Rhett rolls his eyes and walks towards the bunkbed. “Just a quickie and then you can go have your stupid little date,”

“No, Rhett. I really like this guy and I want this date to go well. I’m not going to have you ruin this for me,”

Rhett stares at him blankly before nodding and walking off silently to the bathroom to have a shower. When he comes back, Link’s gone.

-

A few hours pass before Rhett gets a text from Link.

_Hey man, think I can have the apartment for a bit? We’ll be back in 20 mins, pls don’t be there – Link_

Rhett replies with a bitter “k” before he packs up his school bag to go out for a bit. He leaves right away, even though he had a little while until his roommate was back with his date. He didn’t think he could stand to face them both.

He goes to the café near their apartment and scrolls through his phone contacts until he decides which girl to hit up. Jenny was too clingy after sex, Becca was too controlling, Laila was just…not exciting. He scrolls through a bunch of other girls that were just okay in bed before he comes across one contact. They hadn’t talked since the night they hooked up and Link had came home and interrupted them. She was beautiful, funny, and absolutely hot as hell.

He messaged her and within ten minutes of texting, she was inviting him over to fuck, which he gratefully accepted.

-

Link unlocked the apartment and lead his date, Markus, inside. He was thankful that Rhett was no where to be seen, especially when Markus came up behind him and started planting soft kisses along his warm neck.

They make their way to the bedroom, and Link should feel guilty about them using Rhett’s bottom bunk, but he couldn’t care less. Rhett wasn’t a good person. Rhett used him. Rhett hurt him. Rhett took advantage of Link.

So, Link was going to fuck his date in Rhett’s bed.

It’s quick, a little painful, but overall, not the worst sex Link’s ever had.

It was also Markus’ first time being with a man, so Link couldn’t really complain.

Once they cleaned up and got redressed, Link invited him to stick around and watch a film, but he said he had an early class and that he needed to get home to study for his midterms. Link walks him out to his car and gives him a quick kiss goodnight, which turns into Markus pinning Link against his car as they make out.

Link barely feels Markus push his hardened cock into his thigh before he hears Rhett’s voice.

“Dude, what the fuck?”

And before he knows it, Markus is being pulled off of him and shoved away.

“What the hell, man?” Markus asks, and Link’s a little turned on with how hot angry Markus is, but right now he’s more concerned with the fire behind Rhett’s eyes.

“What do you think you’re doing to Link? You want him to get killed?” Rhett asks, towering over Link’s date. “If the wrong person saw y’all, you’d be beaten to a pulp. Now go the fuck home,” He says gruffly, shoving Markus towards the driver’s door of the car.

Link rolls his eyes and grabs Markus by the arm, kissing his cheek softly and whispering a quick goodbye before he hops in his car and drives off. Link turns towards Rhett, glaring at the taller man. “What is your problem?”

Rhett walks right past him and heads into their apartment building. He takes the steps two at a time up to their floor before going inside and tossing his backpack onto the couch, turning towards Link who had managed to keep up with him.

“What’s my problem? What’s your problem, Link? Are you trying to get murdered?”

“What are you fuckin’ talking about, man?”

Rhett paces back and forth in their living room, his body tense and his glare furious. “This ain’t California or New York or some shit man, this is North Carolina. Guy’s hunt gays for sport around here.”

“It’s late, Rhett. It’s dark out. No one would’ve noticed and honestly, I don’t think anyone would’ve really cared.”

“That ain’t true, Neal.” Rhett says, pointing a finger at Link. He steps towards him, towering over him and pressing his finger to Link’s chest. “People care. People care a lot. They care enough to _shoot you._ And I don’t really need to come home to a dead best friend.”

Link stares up a him before scoffing. “Sure, as if you care about my safety and well-being. That’s a load of bull and you know it,”

“Excuse me?”

“You bruise me, you’re rough with me. You _hurt_ me, Rhett. Why don’t you just admit that you aren’t afraid of homophobe’s killing me, you’re afraid of me being with Markus.”

“Afraid of you being with Markus? That’s ridiculous, dude. Markus doesn’t scare-”

Link interrupts him, a knowing look in his eyes. “No. Not Markus. Just me being with another guy that ain’t you. You’re afraid you’re gonna lose your little fuck toy, aren’t you? Afraid that if I get a boyfriend, you’ll have to actually think about whether you wanna marry a pretty girl or a boy, because you won’t have my ass to help you get the gay outta your system, right?”

Rhett takes a few steps back, his eyebrows furrowing together. “What?”

“You’re afraid of being gay, Rhett. You use me to fill that little gay void inside of you, and then you go out and fuck random girls to try and convince yourself that you are straight and maybe you just like my ass because it’s around out of convenience.” Link crosses his arms over his chest. “You need to face the fact that you’re gay, Rhett. You’re gay and that’s not something you can run away from. That’s not something you can just ignore because it’ll eat away at you until you can barely function without it being the only thing on your mind.”

“I’m not gay, Charles. Drop it. I was trying to keep you safe.” Rhett says defensively, mirroring Link by crossing his arms too.

“You’re gay and scared and that’s okay, Rhett. I was too. You aren’t alone, though. And your Ma and Dad won’t care, either.”

“Shut up,” He says quietly, mumbling under his breath.

“Stop being such a fuckin’ coward, man,”

“I said shut up, Neal,” He mumbles again, glancing off to the side, unable to make eye-contact with his life-long best friend.

Link steps closer to him, getting up in his space and almost making Rhett feel small. “You can keep pushin’ me away, or you can face the facts. You can’t make it go away by sleeping with girls. You can’t just ignore it. If you spend your entire life ignoring it and denying it and letting it eat you up inside, it’ll kill you.”

“I said shut up!” Rhett yells, his deep voice booming through their small apartment.

Link stands on his tiptoes, now jamming his finger into Rhett’s chest. “You’re gonna live an unhappy life with a wife who you won’t fully love. Probably have a few kids with her, too. It’ll make your parents happy, sure, but it won’t feel so nice when you’re sneaking around your family to go fuck random guys because inevitably, that’s what will happen to you. And maybe if you pulled your head out of your ass, you’d realize that you could have an actual happy life with a man.” He says angrily. Rhett looks at him now, their eyes locking. They glare, waiting to see who will break first.

Link’s about to start yelling at him again before Rhett shoves him against the wall and kisses him roughly, his hands moving to hold onto his hips and gripping them hard.

Link is frozen in shock for a moment before he pushes Rhett away from him hard. “No. No, Rhett. You don’t get to use me anymore. I’m not yours to throw around like a pathetic toy. You had your chance. You’ve had our entire lives to choose me. You don’t get to choose me now, I’m not an option.” He says, turning and walking away from him.

“Link,” Rhett says quietly, his voice breaking. He’s breathing heavily, his hands still extended from when they were holding Link’s hips. “Link, I-I can’t-”

“I don’t want to hear it, man,” Link says in defeat as he toes on his shoes, grabbing his truck keys and leaving their apartment, slamming the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look at me posting two chapters in one night! 
> 
> Thank you so much for the kudos and comments on this fic, I'm really glad yall are enjoying it even if it is a little painful.
> 
> It's what keeps me motivated to keep going <3

Rhett doesn’t leave the apartment except to go to class to write midterms. He doesn’t stay for lessons, he doesn’t work on projects, he just sits in the apartment, waiting for Link to come home. He doesn’t, though, and Rhett doesn’t know if he plans on coming back at all.

He had called his Ma and asked if she could drive by the Neal’s house to see if Link was there, just to put his mind at ease. When his Mom said she saw his truck driving around town, he worried a little less.

Link was missing midterms, assignments, lessons. He doesn’t know how Link got around his Ma’s questions about why he wasn’t at college, but it made him feel sick to his stomach thinking that maybe Link had outed him to Sue.

He texts him a few times, but gets no response, which he expects. Markus shows up at the apartment a few times, but by the third visit, Rhett threatens to kick his ass if he comes back. He doesn’t want to see Markus; he doesn’t want anyone right now except Link. His Link.

But he isn’t really _his_ Link anymore, is he? Was he ever really _his_ Link?

Rhett think’s he was but doesn’t think Link saw it that way. Link was Link’s. Or maybe Markus’. Were they boyfriends now, or were they still in the dating stages?

Why did it bother him so much seeing Link with Markus? Maybe it was because he looked so much like himself, or maybe it wasn’t just Markus. Maybe it was just seeing Link with someone besides himself.

Which made no sense, since he wasn’t gay.

He _isn’t_ gay, but he _is_ in love with Link, he thinks.

Is it love? Or is it just the need to protect his best friend?

Maybe he isn’t in love with him, but he does love him. He’s still his best friend, the guy that’s been by his side through everything.

Link had changed his life to stay by Rhett’s side.

Link decided against moving away to go to film school just so he could attend college with Rhett after his parents refused to support him through school if he went along with Link to film school.

Once thanksgiving comes around, Rhett finally decides to go home. He arrives late Friday night, so his parents don’t try to keep him up to talk about school and lets him go to bed.

He wakes up in the morning and is thankful when he looks out his bedroom window and sees his parents have both gone out. He’s sure his Ma is at the farmers market, and his dad is probably out having his Saturday coffee with some of his old friends.

He has a quick shower and throws on some warm clothing before hopping in his vehicle and driving across town to Link’s house. Sue’s car is in the driveway, along with Link’s truck parked in the carport.

There’s another car there too that Rhett doesn’t immediately recognize at first. He pulls up behind it on the road and parks, staring at it and trying to figure out which of Link’s family members could be visiting, before he remembers why he knows the car. It’s the same car Link was pushed up against after his date with Markus.

It makes his stomach churn, knowing that Markus was inside Link’s home. With Link. Meeting Sue.

He climbs out of his vehicle and walks up to the door, knocking politely. Sue answers, her cheeks rosy when she smiles up at Rhett.

“Oh, silly boy, what are you doin’ knockin’?” She grins, pulling him down for an embrace. He hugs her back, giving her a slight squeeze. In some ways, Rhett sees Sue as his second mom.

“Didn’t wanna be rude and barge in,” He says when he pulls away, smiling down at her. “Link home?”

Sue takes a deep breath, glancing towards the living room. “Yeah, but he’s got someone here.”

Rhett bites his lip, nodding. “Yeah, I saw. I just wanted to talk to him,”

Sue rubs Rhett’s arms, giving him a sympathetic smile. “I dunno if that’s the best idea right now, Darlin’. Maybe you should come back when Markus leaves,”

Rhett swallows thickly, nodding a little bit and pulling away to leave when he sees Link come around the corner.

“Who’s at the door, Ma?” He asks before he sees Rhett, and he stops in his tracks. “Get out of my house,” He says bitterly, stepping past his mom and trying to make Rhett step out of the door.

“Link, I need to talk to you-”

“I don’t want to hear it. Go, go home. Stay away from our home, Rhett.” He says, grabbing the edge of the door in preparation to close it.

Rhett gives him pleading eyes, letting his shoulders drop and make him appear smaller. “Please,”

“Go,”

Rhett nods a little bit and offers a small nod to Sue before turning and heading back to his car, hopping in and driving off.

Link watches as he leaves, and he closes the door once Rhett’s out of sight. He leans against the door, groaning softly and covering his face with his hands.

Sue steps towards him, grabbing his hands and holding them in hers. “Linky, you need to talk to him,”

Link shakes his head. “No, I really don’t, Ma. What I need is the paperwork to go through so I can move out of the apartment.”

“He’s your best friend. You can’t stop liking him just because he doesn’t like your boyfriend.”

“Actually, I can.” Link sighs heavily, crossing his arms over his chest. “He’s an asshole, Mama,”

Sue gives him a gentle smack to the head, smiling. “Watch your mouth. It isn’t the end of the world when your best friend doesn’t like who you’re dating, it’s just part of life and you need to move past that.”

Link shakes his head a bit, pushing himself off the door and walking into the house more. “I-I can’t get into it, Ma, but he is. He’s horrible, and I don’t see him as my best friend anymore. He’s not a good friend to me. He isn’t a good person.”

“You’re gonna make-up with him, you need to. You two dummies need each other. Friend’s have fights, that’s just part of life.”

Link rolls his eyes and walks away from his mom, going to find Markus in the living room. He grabs him by the hand and pulls him off the couch, pulling him to the front door. His mom is busy peeling potatoes for later on while Link and Markus get their shoes on.

Link takes him out to his truck, and they climb in. Link begins driving, not saying anything to Markus. He just drives and drives, watching as they drive by the empty fields.

Markus reaches over and grabs Link’s hand from the wheel, lacing their fingers together. “Baby, you’re allowed to be angry for…whatever happened, but I think your mom is right,”

“Shut up, Mark,” He mumbles, but lets Markus hold his hand. “You…You don’t know Rhett. You don’t know the shit he’s done.”

“Then tell me.”

Link shakes his head, sniffling as he stares straight ahead at the road. “I can’t do that,”

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t do that to him. I can’t tell people his secrets before he’s ready. He’s an asshole, but I’m not,”

Markus nods, bringing Link’s hand to his lips and kissing the back of his hand softly. “Okay, but you know you can always talk to me, I’m not gonna tell anyone,”

The edge of Link’s lips turn up in a small smile. “I know I can, and I know you won’t. You aren’t an asshole,” Link glances over at him, smiling a bit. “You aren’t an asshole,” He says again, a little quieter, almost like he was reminding himself that he was safe with his boyfriend.

They drive in silence for a little while before Link finally pulls over to the side of a dirt road and puts the truck in park. He turns in his seat, not wearing a seatbelt. He reaches over and unbuckles Markus’ seatbelt before climbing over to him, moving to straddle him.

He kisses him hard, bringing his hands up to cup his stubbly cheeks and hold him closer. He feels Markus’ tongue trace along his bottom lip before they both open their mouths into the kiss, their tongues moving together in sync.

He grinds down against Markus and lets out a breathy moan when he feels Markus’ large hands move from his hips to his ass, squeezing hard.

They moan into each other, rutting against each other as Markus drops his lips to Link’s jaw and down his neck. He feels his hands move from his ass and up his chest, unbuttoning the top few buttons of Link’s shirt so he can expose Link’s broad shoulders. Link feels his lips attach to his collarbone as he sucks hard, intentionally marking Link.

Link moans as he tangles his fingers in Markus’ hair, tugging gently as he feels Markus’ teeth sink into his soft skin.

Markus moves his hands between them, pushing Link away slightly to pull out both of their cocks before he’s wrapping his large hand around them both, jerking them off together.

Link melts into him, burying his face into his neck and grunting as he comes between them. He feels his boyfriend tense up as his orgasm rips through him too.

Link pants against Markus’ skin until he feels him pushing him gently.

“Baby, I gotta clean us up,” He says softly, his deep southern accent in his ear.

Link feels like Jell-O as he climbs out of Markus’ lap and into the drivers seat again.

Luckily most of their mess was caught in Markus’ hand, and Link’s thankful that he keeps take-out food napkins in his glove compartment. He motions for Markus to open up the glovebox, and then he’s wiping his hand. Link tucks himself away as he watches Markus clean up as best as he can.

Markus’ reaches over to wipe away the few drops of come that landed on Link’s shirt, but luckily, it’s low enough that Link could just tuck his shirt in without his Ma picking up on what they got up to on their drive.

Once they’re both cleaned up, Link leans over to kiss Markus softly before he starts up the truck again.

Markus reaches for his hand again, smiling sleepily. “You’re amazing,” He says quietly, his voice and gaze full of fondness, and Link feels his insides melt.

This is how love should feel.


	4. Chapter 4

When they get back, they see a note that Sue left for them, letting them know that she had ran out to the store to grab something she had forgotten.

Link takes Markus upstairs and they change into some sweatpants and climb into Link childhood bed, Markus immediately cuddling close and rolling Link away from him so he could spoon him.

Link lets him, because it feels safe. It feels stable, which is not something he has a lot of experience with. Not a stable home, not stable marks in school right now…not a stable friendship.

He feels Markus’ arm tight around his middle as he settles in for a nap. Link can hear his soft breathing behind him as he drifts to sleep, and Link allows himself to fully melt back into him.

He closes his eyes and lets the warmth of safety wash over him as he reflects on the last few weeks.

Messages and calls from Rhett, messages and calls from a worried Markus, emails from his professors…

When he finally decided to answer Markus’ messages, he had driven all the way to Link’s childhood home that night. They had laid together, much like they are now, except Link was crying, no, sobbing into the bigger man’s chest. He didn’t push, he didn’t ask a million questions, he didn’t get upset with Link. He just held him; he was a rock for him that night.

He had left the next morning with a promise to come back after his class, and he stayed true to his word because at 6pm, he was knocking on Link’s front door again with a bundle of flowers and a box of Oreo’s. Link didn’t have the heart to tell him he wasn’t a huge fan of those cookies, so he ate them along with Markus. That night, Markus had asked him to be his boyfriend.

Link knew things were moving a little fast, but he had no one else. Sure, he had his Ma, but he was going to have to go back to school eventually, and then he would be alone again. So, he said yes, and luckily the next day Markus didn’t have class, so he had talked to Sue while Link was still asleep to find out a great place in town to take Link out on their second date.

It made him happy that his Ma seemed to take a liking to his new boyfriend, but she still seemed insistent that he needed to fix things with Rhett.

She didn’t understand, and if she did, she’d be on her son’s side.

Link rolls over and cuddles into Markus’ chest, hearing the soft thudding of his heartbeat.

He feels the tears swell up in his eyes and he takes a deep breath, trying to will them away, but instead causing more to form. He buries his face into Markus and lets the tears fall.

Markus mumbles something incoherently, pressing his lips to Link’s forehead and holding him tighter.

Link sniffles and pulls away slowly, placing a gentle kiss to Markus’ lips before climbing out of bed. He sees Markus reach for him, his eyes still mostly closed.

He takes one of Markus’ hands in his own and kisses it. “I’m just gonna run to the bathroom and see if mama needs any help. Go back to sleep, I’ll be back soon,” He whispers, and is relieved when Markus nods slightly and shifts around in the bed slightly before settling down, his breathing evening out again as he falls back to sleep.

Link lets out a soft sigh and grabs a hoodie off of the floor and throws it on before heading downstairs. His mom isn’t home yet, which he figured. He doesn’t know what he’d say to her if she was home already, anyways.

He just needed to do something quick, and he hoped he’d make it home before his Ma. And before Markus woke up.

He grabs his truck keys and quietly leaves the house, hopping into his truck and making a quick drive across town.

He sits in Rhett’s empty driveway, his nails nervously picking at his steering wheel until his builds up the courage to shut off his truck and stomp up to the front door of the McLaughlin household.

He knocks on the door loudly and is glad that it’s his tall friend that swings the door open, and not his one of his parents.

They stare at each other blankly, Link’s eyes still red-rimmed from crying at his house and crying on the ride over.

Rhett almost looks like he’s been crying too, but Link doesn’t care.

He pushes past Rhett and he steps into the familiar home. In some way, the smell of the McLaughlin home reminds him of home and fills him with the same comfort that his own home fills him with. Maybe it’s because he spent so much time here that it was like a second home, or maybe it was because it reminded him of Rhett.

Rhett just stares at him, closing the door softly behind the shorter man and leaning against it.

Link paces in front of him, his hands fidgeting together, moving to pick at his nails on one hand.

“Link-”

“Shut up,” He snaps, but he doesn’t even offer Rhett a glance.

Rhett nods and continues to stay silent, his eyes trained on Link.

He stops abruptly, turning to Rhett with heat in his eyes, and not the good kind of heat. The angry, furious, absolutely done-with-everything heat. “Who do you fucking think you are?” He asks, and Rhett can’t decide if it’s rhetorical or not. He decides against answering, letting his gaze fall to his shoes as he swallows thickly.

“Do you think you’re superman or some shit? Think the rules of life just don’t apply to you?”

“No-”

“Well they do, the rules do apply to you. You don’t get to force yourself onto a girl, you don’t get to force yourself onto me anymore. Just because I’ve been your friend our entire lives, just because I’m gay, that doesn’t mean you just get to use me. You _knew_ I’ve been in love with you for years and you just fuckin’ took advantage of that, because why would I say no to the boy I love?” Link scoffs, and if it was his own home, he’d probably give the wall a good kick right about now, but he didn’t want to do that to the McLaughlin’s walls.

Rhett stays quiet now. He didn’t want to make Link angry. He didn’t want to cause this much pain, but he already made his mistakes, and now he has to go through this, he deserves to go through this.

“After I came out, I didn’t go out searching for dates, because I had myself convinced that even if you didn’t think you were gay, maybe, just maybe, I’d be the exception. Maybe I’d be the man you could bring yourself to love despite it being something horrible and wrong.”

“I d-”

“So, I stayed single, I let you use me, hoping one day something would click and then I wouldn’t be forced to go through the pain and heartache of watching you toss me aside whenever you find another warm hole to use.”

Rhett swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“I don’t know where you get off being such a heartless jerk, but I…I need you to stop. I need to you either pick me or…or let me be free, finally. Because I can’t keep holding onto ‘what if’, I need an answer, right now. Yes or no, is there ever going to be a chance that you could love me, too?”

Rhett wipes the tears that have dripped down his own cheek, almost scared to talk. Afraid that Link would snap again.

Link stops pacing and steps up to Rhett. “Can you, Rhett? Can you love me?”

“You’re, uh,” Rhett coughs softly, clearing his throat. “You’re with Markus, aren’t you?”

“So, now you care about my feelings? Forget about him, if I wasn’t with him, would you be able to fully and completely choose me?”

Rhett can’t stop himself as he nods a little bit, immediately feeling sick to his stomach. But it was the truth, if he had the choice now, he’d choose Link. He didn’t want to hurt him. He never wanted to hurt him.

“You’re-You’re a fuckin’ jackass, you know that?” Link says before he pushes Rhett against the door he’s leaning against and presses their lips together.

He feel’s Rhett’s hands shakily move to his waist and he grabs them by the wrist, pinning them to Rhett’s side as he kisses him harder, feeling Rhett’s lips open against his own.

Link groans, not with pleasure, but with anger. Frustration. Pent-up rage. He pushes him against the door harder, moving his hands to Rhett’s chest to shove him again as tears start rolling down his cheeks.

Rhett moves his hands to Link’s waist again and pushed him away softly. “Link, Link, you gotta stop, we-we can’t…”

Link balls up his fists, slamming them against the door on either side of Rhett’s shoulders. “Again? You’re gonna fuckin’ push me away _again_? I swear to-”

Rhett shakes his head, breathing heavily, letting his thumbs rub gently over Link’s soft hips as he pulls him closer. “No, we can’t because you’re with Markus. You’re…You’re with Markus,” He says a little quieter, letting Link go as he steps away.

Link tucks his hands into his pockets, sniffling. “I don’t have to be. I don’t have to be if you can, right now, tell me you’re gay. If you can admit out loud, just to me, that you are in love with me. That you choose me. I need to hear it to believe it.”

Rhett’s lip trembles as he searches for the words to say. He stumbles over his words for a few moments before sighing heavily. “I…I can’t. Not yet at least…” He whispers.

“I’m not asking you to come out to your family. I’m not asking you to strip down to rainbow boxers and go walk in a pride parade. I’m asking you to tell me, your best friend, just me, that you choose me and love me.”

“I can’t…I can’t say it, Link,” His voice breaks, and he feels like he’s losing Link all over again, just by the look in the younger man’s eyes.

Link scoffs harshly and pushes Rhett out of the way and opens the front door, stepping out and walking towards his truck. He turns to Rhett, continuing to walk backwards. “Then I’m not yours. You don’t get to keep ruining my life because you can’t even say the words out loud.”

Rhett watches as his lifelong best friend climbs into his truck, wipes his eyes, and pulls out of the driveway to begin his drive across home, back to his boyfriend.

His heart shatters, it absolutely crumbles the further Link drives away from him. He lets the tears fall freely now as he closes the door. He leans his forehead against the closed door, still gripping the handle as he lets out a broken, “I love you…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're enjoying the fic and I'm sorry about all the angst and drama (no I'm not)
> 
> I'm currently contemplating changing the title of this fic, since it's no longer just a one-shot, I feel like it deserves a better title. I'm currently thinking "Peach Scone" After Hobo Johnson's song mostly because of these lyrics:
> 
> _Oh, you got a man? Are you in love? If so, what type?_  
Is it just platonic, strictly just as friends  
Or the type that ties you two together 'til tomorrow's end?  
If it is, disregard every time I call you pretty  
Though it's meant sincerely, it's just my imagination drifting 
> 
> Let me know what you think (or if I should just keep it as it is)


	5. Chapter 5

_I love you, I love you, I love you…_

Rhett knocks hard on the front door of the Neal’s after racing across town. He was only alone with his thoughts for 10 minutes after Link left before he was jumping in his own car and making the drive.

“I lo-” Rhett begins as the front door swings open. He’s gonna do it, he’s gonna tell Link he loves him, that he _can_ love him and that he’s capable of admitting it to himself. “l-lost my wallet,” Rhett finishes, seeing Markus on the other side of the door.

“Oh, dang man,” Markus chuckles softly. “Just relax, brother, I’m sure you’ll find it,” He says with a slightly worried face, seeing his boyfriend’s friend so tense and red-faced.

Rhett clears his throat, tears burning to spill over. His throat feels like it’s constricting. “I-Is Link ‘round?”

Markus shakes his head. “Was gonna ask you the same thing,”

“Excuse me?”

Markus shrugs a little bit. “We went and had a nap, then he said he was going to help Sue. I woke up and he was gone. I sorta figured he was with you, he seemed upset,”

Rhett stares at him for a moment before slowly shaking his head. “Uh, no, no sorry, I haven’t seen-”

“Mr. McLaughlin!” Rhett hears Sue say loudly from the kitchen. She rounds the corner and smiles at the boy that was practically her other son. “Back so soon?”

“Was just l-looking for something, ma’am,” He says softly, unable to break the intense glare that Markus is giving him.

“Well, since you’re back, come help me, won’t you?” She asks, smiling sweetly. “Need a big strong boy to come mash the potatoes,” She says, grabbing his wrist and pulling him into the house past Link’s boyfriend.

Markus closes the door and crosses his arms over his chest as he watches Sue hand the potato masher to Rhett.

Rhett is still tense, but it’s nice being around Sue, almost as nice as being around his own mother. She was warm and caring, sure she spoiled her son a little too much, but Link’s upbringing was hard on her and her son, they only had each other. Well, Link had Rhett, too, but at night when he’d come home, it was just him and his mama. So, she spoiled him.

Link would always be a mama’s boy, and Rhett found it oddly endearing. He loves his own ma, of course, but their relationship was nothing like Link and Sue’s.

Rhett and Sue chat quietly, Rhett mostly keeps the conversation going to distract himself from the anxiety bubbling in his gut. Mashing the potatoes helped with his frustration a little bit, and it filled him with a bit of joy watching Markus walk off to the living room since he wasn’t given a job to help with.

Sue puts the final touches on some veggies and puts them in the oven before turning to Rhett, her arms crossed over his chest. “Alright, boy, now tell me what the heck is going on with you two?”

“What?”

“You and Link, what happened? He won’t tell me anything,” Sue says softly, and Rhett can see the frustration in her eyes. “I don’t know how to help him. He just seems so sad all the time…And angry. Honestly, it just sort of seems like he’s hurting.”

Rhett bites at his bottom lip hard, staring out the window into the other yard he grew up in. Tree’s they’d climb, the hole where they jumped on Tucker’s poor refrigerator box, the rocks that they definitely didn’t chuck into traffic when Sue wasn’t looking.

“Did you hurt him?”

Rhett swallows thickly, nodding a little bit. “Yeah,” He whispers, letting his head drops, his gaze on the counter. “I…I didn’t mean to…I was selfish,”

“You don’t have to go into the details of your, fight or whatever,” Sue steps over to him, reaching up to place her hand lovingly on his shoulder, squeezing tight. “But y’all need to figure something out, because you two can’t keep living like this.”

“He doesn’t want my apology. I’ve tried,”

“That boy is as stubborn as a boulder, just keep trying.” She says softly. “You’re his favourite person, he might not want to admit it, but he does need you,”

“He’s got Markus, I’m sure he’s fine,” He mumbles softly under his breath.

Sue swats his shoulder and goes over to the sink to begin washing some dishes. “He may be as stubborn as a boulder, but you’re as thick as one if you think anyone would be able to take your place.”

Rhett can’t help the small tug of a grin at the corner of his lips. “I dunno what to do, though.”

Sue raises an eyebrow in Rhett’s direction, as if he was truly dumb. “The difference between you and Markus,” She says, keeping her voice down so the other man wouldn’t overhear, “is that you know where to go find him,”

“I don’t,” Rhett shakes his head, gripping the counter. “I have no idea…” He says softly, trailing off as he begins to think. Sue watches him out the corner of her eye, a small grin playing at her lips as she watches the gears turn in Rhett’s brain. Rhett snaps his head up, a sudden realization.

He quickly scrambles to grab his shoes and slip them on. “You better take care of him, darlin’,” Sue says knowingly. Rhett walks back over to her and leans down to her height, pecking her cheek.

“I will, I promise Mama Sue,” He says, and feels her small arms wrap around his big frame. He relaxes into the hug, returning it tight before she nudges him away gently.

“Don’t take too long, dinner’ll be ready in an hour,”

Rhett nods and quickly leaves. He hops in his car and drives, his hands gripping the wheel. The entire drive is a blur until he’s pulling up to the edge of the creek, seeing Link’s truck.

He parks his car and jumps out, not bothering to turn it off, “Link,” He calls out, seeing Link sitting on the bank and staring mindlessly into the water.

Rhett can see Link’s shoulders rise as he takes a deep breath. “Why can’t you leave me alone,” Link whispers, his voice crackly and broken.

Rhett walks up next to him and drops down to sit next to him, hugging his knees to his chest and staring into the water alongside Link. “Your mama is gonna whoop my butt if I leave you alone,”

Link rolls his eyes before rubbing his face hard. “Please…please…” He whispers, his voice thick with hurt. “I-I can’t keep reliving this horrible fucking moment, I swear to god if I get rejected one more time, I won’t think twice about chucking myself into the river.”

Rhett knows he’s being over dramatic, but he also knows he’s hurting. He hesitates for a few moments before letting his arm move to wrap around Link’s shoulders.

“I-I hate you…” He sniffles and leans into Rhett’s side, “I hate you so goddamn much…”

“I hate me too, don’t worry. I can dislike myself enough for the both of us,” Rhett says softly, and feels the top of Link’s hair tickly his neck and jaw. “Come home,”

“There’ll be leftovers, ma doesn’t really need me home…”

“No, I mean back to school. Come home to me. Come…come be mine, Link,” his voice is so quiet, Rhett’s not even sure Link can hear him until he’s pulling away and now turning to face Rhett.

“You have to stop this, man,”

“I love you, Link. I-I…” Rhett tenses up, even surprising himself with his words, “I love you and I need you,”

“You don’t need me,” Link mumbles bitterly. “You’ve made that very clear many times. You don’t need me; you need my ass.”

“You said if I could say it-”

“Say it and _mean_ it,”

“I love you, I don’t know how else to say it, Link.” Rhett shakes his head a little bit, “I can’t pinpoint a moment when I completely fell, because I’ve always been falling for you, Link. I still haven’t stopped falling for you, and I’ll probably never stop,” He whispers. “I love you, but don’t you want someone that can actually be your…boyfriend? You know I could never come out to my parents. That’s not even an option…”

Link sniffles, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why isn’t it?”

“Link…” Rhett says sadly, looking at a few blades of dying grass. “Link, you know why,”

“Even if it’s me? You don’t think they’d make an…exception if you were with me?”

Rhett sighs heavily, running his fingers through his hair roughly. “They love you, but you just…you don’t hear the shit they say about you when you aren’t around…”

“Anyone that knows anything about me, will talk shit about me. I’m used to it,”

“They’re my parents, Link…”

Link lets out a heavy sigh and falls backwards to lay on the grass. “If, and I mean if, I come home, no sex. You don’t have to come out to anyone but I’m not just gonna let you go right back to using me,”

“Of course, Link, I completely under-”

“No dating. No girls. No hookups.”

“Of course,”

Link closes his eyes tight. “Markus is such a good guy…”

“I mean, if it helps, he sorta looked like he wanted to punch me,”

Link opens his eyes and raises an eyebrow at him curiously.

“Went by your mama’s before coming here,”

“Ah,” Link nods, letting his eyes close again, and Rhett feels himself falling all over again as he sees rays of broken sunlight filtering through the towering tree’s and casting beautiful streams of light across Link’s anxious face. “I already feel guilty,”

“What? Why?”

“Breaking up with my boyfriend fairly unexpectedly to date my best friend? Seems like a bit of a dick move, doesn’t it?”

“I guess…”

Link rubs over his face roughly, letting out a soft groan before he pushes himself off the ground and wipes off the grass and dirt from his jeans. “Well, let’s get goin’,”

“Going?”

“Back to mama’s, aren’t you coming for dinner?”

Rhett stands up too, scratching the back of his neck. “Oh, uh, I was but now I figured you wouldn’t want me there because of Markus,”

Link shrugs a bit, “Sure, this situation is sorta mean to him, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to keep lying to him to make him happy.”

“You’re gonna break up with him after dinner?”

Link snorts softly, shrugging, “Was thinking about doing it beforehand. Don’t need him meeting other family members if I’m on the verge of dumping him,”

Rhett nods a bit, smiling a little bit. “You’re gonna come back to the apartment, too?”

Link puts his hand up to stop him. “Now, I didn’t say that. I may be in love with your dumb ass, but I still need a little time,”

Rhett nods again, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Oh yeah, of course, I get it,” He says quickly.

Link stares at him for a moment before grinning slightly, “I’m just pullin’ your leg, man. After this weekend I’ll come back,”

“Is it bad I kinda wanna kiss you?” Rhett says, unable to keep his gaze off Link’s full and plump lips which were against his own only hours ago.

“Only kinda?” Link teases, and Rhett begins to lean in before Link places his hand on his chest. “After I end things with Markus, I think I owe him that much.”

Rhett snorts and rolls his eyes, but he’s not annoyed at Link. “Alright, alright.” He says softly, leaning in slowly again before quickly pressing his lips to Link’s cheek. “Couldn’t resist,” He mumbles, smiling down at the younger man.

Link’s cheeks heat up, and he smiles up at Rhett. “Go home, and I’ll call you to come back over once Markus is gone?”

Rhett nods a little bit, “Yeah, of course. Are you sure that it’s okay that I join for thanksgiving dinner with your family?”

“I mean, it wouldn’t be the first one you’ve came to, and it definitely won’t be your last,”

Rhett smiles, “I hope it won’t be,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on tumblr @beyourmythical-bitch 
> 
> [tumblr link to reblog!](https://beyourmythical-bitch.tumblr.com/post/189476742356/so-pizza-beyourmythical-bitch-chapter-5)


	6. Chapter 6

Weeks pass and things finally start to fall into place. They don’t go on dates, because Rhett isn’t comfortable with that yet, but they order takeout and sit together on the couch, exchanging bites of pizza, or fries, or Chinese food.

After the first week, Link breaks the ‘no sex’ rule and Rhett isn’t going to argue.

They settle into their new lifestyle, but at the same time, it’s still sort of the same as before. The only difference, Rhett realizes, is that there’s a new label, more sex, and actual romance.

Cuddling is new to the taller man. He never really found the appeal of laying with someone and exchanging body heat without it being sexual, but it’s one of Link’s favourite things. Whether they’re on the couch watching something, about to go to sleep, or just finished fucking, Link likes to be held. He likes to feel safe and secure and cared for, so Rhett gives in and cuddles him.

Luckily Markus doesn’t turn out to be a crazy ex who constantly knocks down Link’s door, but it makes Link’s stomach churn when he sees texts from Rhett’s past hookups still coming through the older man’s phone. He doesn’t reply to them, usually he won’t even open the message before deleting the thread.

Link lets him know, of course, that it bugs him. Rhett apologizes constantly, but that doesn’t stop the women from texting him.

He’s too polite to block their numbers or to tell them to leave him alone, so Link just has to suffer.

Now, they only have a few days left of classes before they’re off for their winter break, and they both could’ve sworn they were _just_ off for thanksgiving.

Holidays this year will be harder, Link knows. Rhett will have his own Christmas’, his own holiday parties, his own family things to keep him busy and away from his boyfriend.

Link can get away with inviting him and his parents over for the Neal’s Christmas Eve party, which involves just enough alcohol for them to escape for a quickie without anyone noticing.

Going from spending every day and night together, to a few hours every few days is hard. Link struggles to keep himself busy around his Ma’s house, but there’s nothing really to do when she’s off at work and Rhett’s being dragged off to some relative’s house for celebrations.

It’s selfish, Link knows, that he wants Rhett to come out to his family. Really, he just wants to be able to spend the holidays with him, sip hot chocolate in the early morning with the McLaughlin’s while watching Rhett’s nieces and nephew’s open presents.

Luckily for both of them, a high school buddy invites them to a New Years Eve party, so they can excuse themselves from whatever boring thing their parents were going to get up to. Most likely sit around, gossip, and sip wine. The boys were young, their parents understood that they wanted to party.

Link didn’t even really want to party, he just wanted to spend time with Rhett. Be by his side all night, share drinks and snacks and blend into a crowd that knows them well enough to know that it’s not unusual for them to be that close.

Sure, they couldn’t kiss at midnight or hold hands or act like a regular couple in any way, but they weren’t a regular couple to begin with, they were just…Rhett and Link.

Now they’re surrounded by peers and others they went to high school with. The regular crowd is nearly doubled though, with people’s new partners that they had met in college or while working. No one asks if Rhett has a girlfriend, and no one cares enough to ask if Link has a boyfriend.

They’re leaning against a wall together, almost leaning into each other to stay upright after all their drinking. The room is spinning a bit, but Link doesn’t care. He’s here with Rhett, surrounded by their friends and slightly too tipsy.

He can’t help himself as he grabs Rhett’s wrist and tugs him through the crowd. No one pays them any mind, figuring they’re just up to some regular ‘Rhett and Link’ scheme again.

Link pulls him into a bedroom and shuts the door quickly after making sure no one had followed them. Rhett’s quick to push his smaller boyfriend against the wall and attack his neck with his lips.

“Been watching you all night,” He mumbles against the hot skin of Link’s neck, biting down softly to make Link gasp. “Lookin’ so perfect in those jeans, Neal, fuck,” He grinds into Link’s hip, “The thing’s you do to me,”

Link is nearly breathless, his eyes rolling back slightly as his hips move like they have a mind of their own. Rhett palms at the front of Link’s jeans, quickly getting Link worked up and desperate. “We…” Link pants softly, “We can’t here, baby,” He whispers, “When we go home, my ass is yours,”

Rhett pulls away slightly, raising an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

Link nods quickly, not wanting Rhett to think he did something wrong. “Yeah, yeah, I just…” He chuckles nervously, running his hands up Rhett’s chest and circling behind his neck, pulling him down for a soft kiss. “I wanna kiss you at midnight, y’know?”

Rhett chuckles and nods, returning the kiss and holding Link close. Link can still feel his hard-on pressing into his thigh, but neither make any move to take care of that. “You’re cheesy, Link,” He mumbles against his lips with a small, fond smile.

Link giggles and runs his hands down Rhett’s chest slowly, letting Rhett hold his small frame against his bigger one. He pulls away when he hears everyone begin the countdown outside the bedroom they’re hiding it. They count down together, whispering the seconds until the new year. The new year that they would get to start together, the year of them finally getting to be happy together, the year that Link finally gets to be loved the way he’s always deserved.

Link barely whispers ‘one’ before Rhett’s pulling him into another kiss, a deeper and more intense kiss. Link feels himself melt and if it wasn’t for Rhett holding him, he’s sure his knees would’ve given out too.

He kisses back and lets himself be kissed in return. He lets himself be happy in the moment, being held by his life long best friend and newly found boyfriend. He lets himself enjoy being with another man without a second thought.

The moment is cut short, though, by someone pushing into the bedroom. No just someone, but a couple. Two very drunk and very handsy people, who are shocked when they see the boys.

“What’re you fags doin’ in my bedroom?” He slurs drunkenly, wrapping his arm around his dates waist and glaring at the men.

They both scramble to pull apart and rush out of the bedroom, their faces bright red. They say nothing to each other as they make their way back to the party. They separate, Link going to the living room and Rhett going to the kitchen to grab them both another beer.

When he gets back to the living room, he doesn’t see Link. Usually it’s easy for him to pick Link out of a crowd, but right now he can’t. He walks up to someone he was better friends with in high school and nudges him gently. “Seen Neal?”

“Charlie? Nah,” The guy says, shaking his head. “He was here a few minutes ago, sorta figured he was just lost looking for you,” The guy jokes, smacking Rhett on the arm and grinning. “You two still attached at the hip?”

“More or less, yeah,” Rhett chuckles nervously, still letting his eyes scan the crowd. He says a quick bye to his friend before he continues through the party, occasionally asking people of they had seen Link.

Eventually a girl points towards the front door. “Think he left,” She says, raising her voice above the music. Rhett thanks her and runs out quickly, having left the beers he grabbed on a table somewhere in the party.

He doesn’t have to go far before he sees Link on the porch, his jacket wrapped around himself tightly as he stares off into the darkness of the cold winter night.

“Link, hey, you alright?” Rhett asks softly, letting his voice lower now that it’s not being overpowered by the pop music inside. He sees Link frown and shake his head slowly. “Did something happen in the living room?”

“Less than a minute into the new year and someone already called me a fag. I just…I dunno. I thought this new year would be different. I wanted this year to be different, and it’s already starting off the same as all my past years had been.” He says quietly, and if there wasn’t a group of people smoking on the other side of the porch, Rhett would’ve pulled him into his arms.

“One drunk dude doesn’t have to define your year, Link. It doesn’t have to define our year. These are pointless high school friends, the only reason anyone is here is because it beats goin’ out with their parents. That’s why we’re here. That’s probably why most people are here. No one here gives a shit about anyone after graduation, it’s just an excuse to drink. In the morning that guy won’t even remember we were in his room, hell, he probably won’t even remember we were here,”

Link sniffles, wiping his eyes. “You don’t…You haven’t had to face before. You haven’t had hateful slurs and death threats thrown at you. Sure, this time is just some loser calling us fags, but maybe next time it’ll be a fist, or a…or a gun. People say horrible things, people _do_ horrible things, and without a second thought when it comes to gay people. We’re sub-human to them. We aren’t equals, they’re better than us and they’ll let us know that until the day we die, which on average for a gay guy in the south, is way younger than it should be. So, yeah, I’m gonna be upset about it, alright?”

Rhett listens, not interrupting his boyfriend. His heart hurts for him. For them both, really. “Maybe we could…Maybe we could leave?”

“My phone’s dead, we gotta call a cab with yours,”

“No, I mean, like, leave North Carolina. New York is accepting of gay stuff, right? Like, with Broadway and shit? LA is good too, isn’t it?”

Link shrugs and shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter, you know at the end of the day we aren’t gonna leave here. Our families are here, our friends, everything…We can’t really leave everything to go live a gayer life out east or out west,”

Rhett sighs, letting his hand move to Link’s lower back. “Not gayer, happier. And safer.”

Link sniffles again and looking up at Rhett, his eyes glassy and blue. “Can we just go back to Ma’s?”

Rhett nods, sneaks a quick kiss to his cheek, and then pulls out his phone to call a cab.

He’s about to dial the taxi’s number when a texts comes through, and he’s nearly sick to his stomach right then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on tumblr @beyourmythical-bitch


	7. Chapter 7

He swallows thickly, flicks the notification away, and calls the cab. He will deal with that later. Right now he just needed to get Link home and get them both into bed in the safety of the Neal household.

Rhett arranges their pickup and tucks his phone in his pocket before wrapping an arm around Link’s waist, not too worried about the partygoers on the porch.

“Can’t wait to get into bed…” Link says softly, letting his eyes slip shut and resting his head against Rhett’s shoulder.

“Me too,” Rhett whispers, a gross, ugly feeling deep in his gut.

-

They make it back to the Neal’s house not too much later, and quietly sneak into Link’s bedroom. Sue knew they were out, so it wasn’t like they were doing something bad, they just didn’t want to wake her.

Link’s peeling off his shirt before Rhett’s even closed the bedroom door. He kicks off his pants, too, and chucks them towards his dirty laundry bin. He’s standing in front of Rhett, now, in only a pair of tight black Calvin Klein’s.

Link steps forward and wraps his arms around the taller man’s shoulders, pulling him down for a slightly askew smooch.

Rhett can’t help but giggle at his tipsy boyfriend as he grabs his waist, rubbing his thumbs over Link’s prominent hipbones. “We should go to sleep, darlin’,”

Link pouts and stands on his tiptoes, looking at Rhett with his bright blue puppy-eyes. “Do we haaave to?” He asks in an almost teasing voice, pulling Rhett in for another kiss before the taller man steps away, smiling.

“Yes, we have to. I don’t need your mama to hear the noises you make,”

Link stares at Rhett, but Rhett can tell he’s in his own mind thinking. Possibly weighing out the pro’s and con’s of getting dicked down in the same house at his mama. Finally, he sighs and nods, pulling away from Rhett to go and pull on his pyjamas. “Fine, but the second we get back to our dorm room, you better be ready,”

Rhett smiles and peels his own clothes off too, tossing them alongside Link’s dirty clothes. Something warm settles in his chest, seeing their clothes mingling together on the floor. There was something comforting about it, something domestic and nice.

Rhett flicks off the overhead light and climbs into Link’s bed, watching Link wander around his room in the dimness of the nightlight. His mind wanders, and drifts back to the text message earlier. He suddenly feels dizzy, like he can’t breathe properly, but then Link is there, climbing into bed and wrapping himself around Rhett’s large frame. He wants to tell Link, he knows he has to tell him, but all he can come up with before they finally go to sleep is a soft, “I love you,”

-

Rhett climbs out of his car, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he makes his way up to his family home.

He’s only got one shoe off when he hears his dads booming voice calling his name from the kitchen. He tries to think about what he might’ve done to get himself into trouble this time but comes up with nothing as he wanders through the house. His dad is sitting in his seat at the head of the table, with his mom off to his right, trying to look occupied with her day planner.

Rhett leans down to kiss his mama’s cheek before standing up straight, looking at his dad. “Is everyth-”

“Are you a homo, Rhett?”

“E-Excuse me?”

“Are you a gay? Like Link?” He asks, folding his hands in front of himself on the table. Diane writes fast in her day planner, and Rhett can see her hand shaking.

“N-No, sir. I’m not.”

His dad raises an eyebrow. “Then why, when we went to church this morning, did Betty from the grocery store come over and tell us that her daughter saw you and Link being…’together’, at your party the other night?”

“Link must’ve been with another guy, then. I don’t know, dad. I promise,” Rhett finishes quietly, his voice cracking a bit. “I-I promise. I’m not gay, I’m not with Link,”

Both of his parents stare at him now, silent and judgmentally. His dad stands up and steps over to his youngest son. “Get out of my house,” He says quietly. “I was nice enough when you kept bringing Link ‘round here, but this, this is too much. Once you decide to stop being gay, you can come home. Your mother and I can’t support this life style, especially with you two livin’ together,”

“Dad, we aren’t-”

“Go, Rhett. Get the fuck outta my hou-”

“I got a girl pregnant!” Rhett interrupts, and the words leave a bitter taste in his mouth. “B-Back at school, I got her pregnant, t-that’s why I’ve mostly been with Link, I-I was scared to tell you guys,”

His mother smiles a little bit, her hand going to her heart. “You’re giving us a grandbaby?”

“Well, I-I mean we haven’t really figured everything out,” Rhett says quietly, and all he wants is to disappear.

“Well, what’s there to figure out?” his dad asks.

“I guess, if we’re going to keep it or not…?”

Diane scoffs, “Don’t be ridiculous, of course y’all are keeping it,”

“Well, ma, that’s not really up to me,”

“Next time your come to visit, bring her ‘round,” His dad says, crossing his arms over his chest. “And no more going over to the Neal’s, y’all are too old to keep having sleep overs, it’s bad enough you two already have to live together,”

Rhett bites his lip hard and forces himself to nod. “Okay, well, uh, I’m gonna go,” He nods his head in the direction of his bedroom before walking away from his parents. He closes his bedroom door loud behind himself and leans against it, hot and angry tears rolling down his cheeks. He slides to the floor with his knees to his chest, and sobs softly into his jean covered knees.

He needs to tell Link, Link should’ve known before his parents, Link should’ve known the moment Rhett found out, and here he was a few days later still ignoring it. He only replied to the girl with a quick message about how they needed to meet up and talk once he was back, but besides that he’s been trying everything possible to stop thinking about it. How can he just ignore this, though? He accidentally created a human in someone, it should be an easy decision on what to do. Without a doubt in his mind, he should be choosing the baby and the poor girl that unexpectedly has to carry it, but…he finally has Link. Link is finally his, after years of denial and weeks of fighting, they’re finally okay and now…now Rhett has to go and fuck everything up again.


	8. Chapter 8

Rhett is filled with so much guilt being around Link. They hold hands in the car, exchange quick pecks at stop lights, but deep-down Rhett’s having a crisis. Actually, it’s not all that deep-down, it’s pretty surface level anxiety.

He needs to talk to the girl before he tells Link anything. Maybe he won’t have to tell Link at all, if the girl doesn’t want the baby. He knows it’s really damn unlikely, but he can hope. He needed to figure everything out before telling his boyfriend.

His loving, caring, best friend that he also gets the privilege of loving and caring for. His best friend that he almost lost because Rhett was such an asshole. His best friend in the entire world. He was going to have to hurt his favourite person all over again.

He didn’t want to, if he could somehow make the issue go away, he would. An abortion is the girl’s choice. If she wants him involved in raising the kid, he had to step up and be a man and support his family. If she doesn’t want him involved at all, that fixes Rhett’s issue.

He wasn’t ready to hurt Link again. He had already been put through so much the last few months with Rhett’s mess of feelings and emotions.

So, he keeps it to himself. He keeps his phone off if Link’s around, he doesn’t check messages or voicemails. The girl had dropped out of school after winter break, Rhett knew that much. She wasn’t going to be back in the area for another week or so, so Rhett just had to sit on the secret when they got back to the apartment after their holidays.

The last few days of their break they stayed apart after Rhett’s dad accused him of being ‘a gay’. Sure, he was right, but he didn’t need his dad believing that anymore.

They’re sitting on the couch, Link’s feet in his lap as they watch an episode of some trashy show. Rhett’s rubbing at his feet mindlessly, not focusing a whole lot on the show. He hasn’t been able to focus on anything, unless it was exclusively Link. Tv didn’t distract him, studying didn’t help, he didn’t find joy in anything except Link, and thankfully, Link doesn’t mind the extra attention.

They get back into the swing of things once school begins again. Link goes to his teachers and gets his classes figured out, since he had missed most of the second half of the semester. Rhett starts his new classes, and he almost forgets about the 9-month ticking time-bomb until he gets a text during his Thursday afternoon class.

He reads the message with a face of disgust, but replies, agreeing on where to meet up with the girl.

Once the class ends, he tries to linger around the halls for as long as he can before he finally makes himself go across campus to a café to meet up with her.

He can spot her out immediately, her long black hair flowing down her back in beautiful loose curls.

Rhett sits down across from her, and she almost looks spooked until she realizes who’s sitting down.

“Hey, Rhett,” She says quietly.

“Hi, Laney,” He replies, keeping his gaze down. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better,” She mumbles bitterly, picking at a napkin that was in front of them. “What about you?”

“About the same,”

Laney lets out a harsh, bitter laugh. “Oh, you’ve been better? I didn’t know you were unexpectedly carrying a kid, too?”

“Laney,” He says quietly, not wanting to bring any attention to them in the small coffee shop. “I don’t,” he sighs, “Of course I don’t know what you’re going through, I know it’s harder for you, but this messes up things for me, too,”

“Why? Did you already knock up someone else? Someone snagged you before I could?”

“No, it’s not that-”

“Then I don’t see what the issue is, because a child out of wedlock, which is pretty damn bad already,”

Rhett folds his hands together on the table, his thumbs fiddling. “Well, what do you wanna do?”

“Excuse me?”

“What are you considering for the baby? Are you gonna…keep it?”

“What kind of question is that?” She asks, offended, “Of course we’re keeping it,”

“We?”

“The baby didn’t magically happen, Rhett. It takes two to tango, or in this case, reproduce,”

Rhett sighs heavily, letting his head drop. “What about child support?”

“Are you really trying to get out of this? You made this mistake. Own up to it, be a man, and be here for your family,”

“We aren’t a family, Laney. We barely know each other,”

“I tried calling and texting you after to try and set up dates. You ignored me, you just tossed me aside.” She says bitterly. “So, no, you aren’t getting out of this. You acted without thinking long-term and now we both have to pay the consequences. Do you really think I can tell my parents about this? That I got pregnant from a stranger? I’d be on the streets in a heartbeat,”

Rhett closes his eyes tight, burying his face into his balled-up fists, “Laney, I can’t. I can’t, and you won’t want me,”

“Why?”

“It’s a personal issue…”

“You’ve had your dick in me, I deserve a real reason,”

“I’m with a man,” He blurts out, trying to keep his voice down. Laney clearly didn’t care about their privacy, but Rhett did more than anything.

Laney sits back in her seat for a second, her eyebrows raising in surprise. “And your family is okay with that?”

“No, but-”

“Then it isn’t your life. It’s a dirty little college secret that you’ll move on from or something. This is a future, this is our kid,”

“I love him, Laney,”

“Men aren’t capable of loving each other, Rhett. You’re being driven by sexual desires but it’s all temporary. A family is permanent. That’s something you can’t have with a guy,”

Rhett groans and rubs his face harshly, feeling tears swell in his eyes that he quickly blinks away. “I need to talk to him about this,”

“My point exactly. If love was possible between men, you would’ve told him already.”

Rhett stands up from the table then, his face and posture tense. “It was nice talking to you, Laney.” He mutters, pushing in his chair. “I’ll get back to you on…everything,” He says bitterly before leaving the café quickly, walking across campus. He wasn’t going to cry, at least not in public. He couldn’t cry at home, either, though, because then Link would know something was up. He didn’t know what to do, or where to go. So, he ends up sitting on a bench in a park, letting himself just stare into the sky as the sun sets around him and the bright moon comes out to illuminate the darkness. The streetlights around him do the same thing, too.

He doesn’t know how long passes until someone calls him, and he answers without looking at the ID. “Yeah?” He mumbles.

“Rhett? Baby, where are you? I thought your class was over at 4?” Came Link’s worried voice over the line.

“Sorry, I-I,” Rhett takes a deep breath, trying to steady his thoughts even slightly. “Lost track of time, I’m on my way back now,”

“Are you okay?”

“We need…We gotta have a chat when I get home,” He says quietly, and he can hear Link’s loud footsteps of him pacing over the call.

“You’re really worrying me,”

“Make some coffee or something, I’ll be back in ten minutes. I just…Please don’t doubt that I love you,”

“I love you too, Rhett,” Link says quietly, and Rhett can practically see Link anxiously chewing on his thumbnail.

Rhett swallows thickly, listening to the fast breaths of Link, before hanging up and beginning the trek back home to Link.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for leaving this for over a month, got busy around the holidays! I hope you're all doing well :D
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr @beyourmythical-bitch


	9. Chapter 9

Link’s on the couch, two mugs of coffee untouched on the table in front of him. Rhett kicks off his shoes, not letting his eyes leave Link. He already looks so scared and stressed, how could Rhett be doing this to him again?

Link doesn’t look up until Rhett clears his throat softly.

His eyes are sad, not their typical piercing blue. They were dull, they were tired, they were sad.

Rhett barely makes it a few steps in the apartment before the tears start. He’s shaking his head, walking towards Link on the couch slowly, wrapping his arms around himself and sniffling.

Link stands up and makes the last few steps to Rhett, gently wrapping his arm around his waist and guiding him to sit on the couch. It’s not often that Link’s comforting Rhett, but Rhett’s curled up on the couch, his head tucked up under Link’s chin as he cries into the other man’s hoodie.

“You’re really stressin’ me out here, man,” Link whispers, but keeps one arm firmly around the bigger man and his other hand rubbing up and down his tense back slowly, occasionally letting his fingers rub the tight knots.

“I-I just,” He groans, clutching onto Link tighter, “I love you so fuckin’ much, so, so fucking much,” He sobs, and Link holds him tighter.

“I love you too, Rhett,” He says skeptically. “But you need to give me more than that if you want me to help you out here,”

“I-I can’t, I don’t know what to do, Link, fuck,” He breaks off in a sob, and Link does his best to curl himself around Rhett’s larger frame more.

“What to do about what?”

Rhett takes a few shaky breaths, trying to regain some sort of control over his emotions. “I fucked up,”

Link’s hold loosens on his boyfriend, and he pulls away a little bit. “Did you fucking cheat on me?” He asks loud and harshly, more aggressive than his previous tone.

“No, I, fuck, I didn’t cheat,” He says quickly, gripping Link’s hoodie and pulling him close again, “Please, please believe me. I didn’t cheat. I haven’t slept with anyone else since we got together,”

“Then how else could you have possibly fucked up? Did you accidentally kill someone or somethin’?”

Rhett shakes his head slowly, sniffling. Link’s never seen him so small, so vulnerable. It must be something bad, if Rhett is having this much of a meltdown over it.

“You need to talk to me,”

“I don’t know how it happened, I don’t know, I just, I have no idea _how_, but I-” He covers his sob with his hand, his eyes screwing shut tight as he tries to keep back the tears, “I got a girl pregnant,” He whispers around his sobs.

Link tenses up. He goes still altogether. Rhett peeks up, trying to gauge Link’s reaction, but he’s just staring blankly at the off TV.

“I-I don’t know ho-”

“You had sex, that’s how,” Link mumbles, “Don’t tell me you don’t know how she got pregnant. You know perfectly well how a baby is made,” he doesn’t sound bitter or angry, he just sounds…broken. Defeated.

“It was before we started dating.” He whispers, looking up at Link with pleading eyes. “We used protection, i-it shouldn’t have happened,”

Link nods slowly, his arms dropping from where they were wrapped tightly around Rhett’s body. He shifts away on the couch, bringing his knees to his chest, trying to make himself small enough that he could disappear into the couch. He hugs his knees, his gaze on the floor. “How long have you known?” Link asks quietly.

“That’s not fair, Link,” he says quietly, his voice cracking. “She told me in a text, I had to wait until she was back in town to actually meet up with her and discuss things with her to know where she stood so then I could, I-I don’t know, decide what I had to do,”

“When did you get the text?”

Rhett’s jaw tenses, and he swallows thickly. “I already feel shitty enough that we’re having to go through this, please don’t make me keep hurting you…”

“You made the choice to hurt me when you didn’t tell me right away. We’re a team, Rhett. We could’ve been trying to figure this out together,”

“I don’t think the homophobic mother would want your input on the situation,” Rhett says quietly.

Link sighs heavily, letting his head drop down to rest against his knees, his eyes closed tight. “This ain’t fuckin’ fair, man,”

“I know, I-I know it isn’t and I’m so sorry,”

“For my own sanity, I need to know. When did she send you the text?”

Rhett chews his lip, trying to even his breathing. “New Year’s Eve. Well, New Year’s Day, technically. It was when I called the cab for us to go home from the party…”

“That…was so fucking long ago…”

“Like, two or three weeks,” Rhett says quietly, “For all I knew, she was going to get an abortion, and this wasn’t going to be an issue,”

“So, if she got rid of the baby, you just weren’t going to tell me?”

“I would’ve, I swear, but not until it was actually done with. A-And I offered this girl child support and told her I wasn’t interested in being with her a-and she just wouldn’t accept that,”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Link mumbles, his head still resting against his knees and picking at a thread on the couch.

“I’m dead serious, Link. I told her I was gay, that I was happy with my boyfriend and that I didn’t want to give that up for a family I didn’t ask for,”

“You…you told her you’re gay?” Link asks quietly, looking up at him with a look that Rhett could only explain as puppy eyes. “Why’d you do that? You’re always bitchin’ about how dangerous it is for people to know…”

“She didn’t seem like a threat, and I had to. She needed to understand how important you are to me. I had to tell her I was with a man, or else she wasn’t really going to believe anything I said,”

“Well…where do we go from here?”

Rhett shrugs, “Bed seems like a good idea,”

Link nods a bit, hugging his legs tighter. “You go on ahead, I just…need time to think, or something,”

“Are you sure? I-I can wait up,”

“No, Rhett, it’s okay. Please, go to bed. I’ll be in soon,”

Rhett reaches across the couch, grabbing Link’s hand from where it’s wrapped around his knees. He laces their fingers together, sniffling. “I love you…”

Link’s quiet, squeezing Rhett’s hand tight before letting go and wrapping his arm around himself again. “You too,” He says quietly, gaze not reaching Rhett’s eyes.

Rhett stands from the couch and leans over to press his lips to Link’s forehead softly before making his way to the bedroom, not closing the door completely.

Link ends up falling asleep moments later on the couch, the exhaustion of everything finally catching up with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](https://beyourmythical-bitch.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [Tumblr](https://beyourmythical-bitch.tumblr.com/post/190391966391/peach-scone-chapter-9) post for this chapter


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previous fic title: So, Pizza

Link stirs at the sound of clanking in the kitchen. He shivers a bit, his arms moving to wrap around himself. He falls in and out of sleep, one of the mini naps bringing him a blanket, and another he awakes to some sizzling, and eventually, there’s two clinks on the coffee table and a gentle shaking to his shoulder.

Link rolls over, his eyes closing tighter at the bright sunrise peeking through the blinds. He takes a deep breath, his nose filled with the wonderful scent of breakfast.

“You stayed on the couch?” Rhett asks, and that’s when Link notices him sitting down by his feet. Link sits up, pulling his knees to his chest and the blanket around himself more.

“Yeah, so?”

Rhett shrugs, and Link can see how puffy and red his eyes are. “I was waitin’ up for you…Came out around an hour later, and you were asleep,”

“You know me, man, stress sleeping,” Link says, trying to brush it off. He sees the plates of food steaming on the table, wondering if it’s a peace offer, or if Rhett had just wanted to make breakfast. Link wasn’t going to let himself fall into another trap presented to him as a peace offering. He already put himself through enough pain back when they were casual, when Rhett couldn’t love Link in return, but his ass was good enough. Link sacrificed happiness for a fake sense of happiness being nothing but a warm hole for Rhett. He wasn’t about to sit here for 9 months playing the unbothered boyfriend.

Rhett’s brows were furrowed, his face and shoulders were tense, and his eyes looked drained and lifeless. The stress ages him, too. He doesn’t look like his Rhett. He looks like an entirely different person. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Like a rock,” Link says bluntly, his eyes moving to stare at the wall opposite him, and his jaw tense.

“I made you breakfast, I know you have class at 9,” Rhett says quietly, his voice trailing off.

“I’m not going to class, man,” He says a little too harshly. The steam on the food is weaning, and Link really doesn’t want cold eggs. He didn’t really want eggs, period.

Rhett shuffles over on the couch a bit, moving into the space that Link’s legs had previously been occupying. “Well, my classes are just review, today. I can stay here with you,”

“You’re going to class,” Link says matter-of-factly.

“Why can you stay home, and I have to go to class?”

Link closes his eyes, his fists curled tight, “Because I don’t think quality time is what we need,”

“We still need to talk, and, like, figure out where everyone stands?”

“I’m sure you and your bitch can handle that,”

“Dude!” Rhett’s voice booms, and now he’s standing, towering over Link, who is still tucked into himself on the couch, “Don’t fucking call her a bitch, man,”

“So, what, now you’re defending her?” Link raises his voice a bit, too, but not nearly enough to compete with Rhett’s.

“No, I’m not! But you can’t just call a girl a bitch, man, that’s not cool,”

“My bad, just a whore then?” Link snaps, his voice sharp and glare icy.

Rhett swallows thickly, and Link can see Rhett clenching his fists at his sides. “Apologize,” He says flatly.

“I’m sorry you knocked up a whore,” Link says with a shrug, and Rhett’s quick to turn and leave, stomping through the apartment. Link goes back to staring at the wall until the front door creaks open and slams shut behind Rhett.

Link does eat the food Rhett made, consuming both plates in record time, and eventually wandering into the kitchen and finding extra bacon.

He steps into the bedroom, that feels cold and lifeless, like love had never existed. But it had. With Rhett and Link. And Link and Markus. And Rhett and whoever he knocked up. And Rhett and the girl before that. And the girl before that. And before that.

He doesn’t really see the dorm room as an apartment with his boyfriend. It’s a college dorm that he lives in with his best friend. This living space is just temporary. Once they have an apartment that Rhett hasn’t fucked someone in, then Link can call it home.

Link lets his eyes gaze over the bottom bunk, before climbing the ladder to the top bunk instead. The blanket was a bit stiff, and the pillow was flat, and nothing smelled like Rhett. He hated to admit that he missed it. That he craved it.

He burrows down into the comforter and closes his eyes. He could just disappear and go back home again, like he had done the last time. Markus wouldn’t be there to save the day this time, and Link didn’t really want him to be. Link still wanted it to be Rhett. It would always be Rhett.

It scares him, possibly losing Rhett again, but he’s sure the girl is scared, too. Rhett doesn’t show his feelings like he had the previous night, and he seemed just as scared.

_I shouldn’t have called her a whore. I was angry. I’m sorry – Link_

_thank u. its ok, was bfast good? – Rhett_

_yeah. thanks – Link_

_love you – Rhett_

Link tucks his phone under his pillow and rolls over towards the wall, falling asleep without a struggle.

They survive like that for days, not really acknowledging each other, not really talking about things. Link sleeps on the couch more nights that not, but Rhett holds him extra tight the 3 nights Link has climbed into the bottom bunk to burrow himself into Rhett.

One day Rhett brings up that Laney has a doctor’s appointment in the following days and wants Rhett to go with her. Link decides he’s going to go home and visit his mama for the weekend, instead. He comes back as late a possible Sunday night, and Rhett’s still awake on the couch, watching a rerun of some show.

Link doesn’t say hi, and Rhett doesn’t lift his head from the couch. Link just steps into their bedroom, dumping his backpack in the corner and changing into sweats and a tank top before grabbing a towel to go shower. Maybe knowing that Link was home and safe, Rhett would go to bed while he was in the shower.

He steps into their bathroom and starts up the shower. He undresses and folds his clothes, leaving them on the counter before climbing into the steaming water.

He’s massaging shampoo into his hair when he hears the bathroom door creak open, and then closed. He rinses the shampoo out of his hair, figuring Rhett was just grabbing his toothbrush to go clean up before bed in the kitchen sink. What he didn’t expect is Rhett’s soft voice asking if he could join him.

“Uh…sure, man,” Link mumbles, stepping aside to make room for Rhett. They never showered together. They attempted a few times, but they were both just too big to fit into the shower together. However, Rhett slides in behind him. Link’s just about to grab his own bodywash, before Rhett snatches it from the shelf. Link listens as Rhett squeezes some bodywash into his hands, rubs his hands together to get it all sudsy, and then he feels the firm, warm touch to Rhett’s hands rubbing over his back.

Link closes his eyes, feeling Rhett’s nose pressed against the back of his wet hair, while his thumbs massage his back slowly. He lets his hands trail around to the front of Link’s body, letting shiny soap suds cover his lover’s body. Link can feel when he gives up trying to clean him, opting to just wrap his arms around Link and hold him back against his chest, now leaning down to tuck his face into Link’s neck. Link’s sure it’s hard for him to breathe with the water falling over them, but Rhett makes no move to let go. He grips tighter, and Link can feel his body convulsing with silent sobs.

Part of Link wants to push him off and tell him to go to bed, but a much bigger part of Link makes him turn around, wrapping his arms around Rhett’s shoulders and hugging him close. Rhett’s hair’s still dry, since Link was more under the showerhead and Rhett was just too tall, and Link runs his fingers through the dry locks. “I don’t want you to leave me,” He finally whispers, and he’s not too sure if the sound of the water splatting against them and the bathtub overpowers his voice.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Rhett mumbles against his neck, and Link’s more worried about Rhett hurting his knees or back for bending down to hug him for this long.

Link presses his lips to Rhett’s temple. No matter how much this boy messes up, he’s still Link’s best friend. “Dry off and go get into bed,” He says against his skin, letting his nails scrape gently against his scalp. “Let me finish cleaning up and then…I’ll come to bed, too,”

“Promise?” Rhett whispers, and he sounds so small.

“Yeah, promise,”

Rhett nods and pulls away, his eyes red-rimmed and his chin quivering a bit. Link can’t resist kissing him gently, feeling Rhett’s large hand come up to cup his cheek. He pulls away, moving his hands to Rhett’s chest.

Rhett nods a bit, and sniffles. He pulls the shower curtain to the side a bit and slips out. Link listens to the patter of his wet feet on the bathroom tile, and the eventual creak of the door as Rhett leaves.

Link rushes through his shower routine, his heart stinging. He misses being close to Rhett. He misses feeling loved and cared for, he misses being held.

_Why_ did Rhett have to mess up a good thing, once again? Link knows it wasn’t on purpose, and Link does believe him that it was before they had started dating, but that doesn’t make it any better, or any easier. Rhett wasn’t just Link’s now. No, he has to share him with _Laney_. And then eventually, a baby. Well, maybe Rhett will dispose of him before the baby arrives. Gotta make sure he has the picturesque family.

Link’s getting ahead of himself, and he knows that. He doesn’t know what the outcome of this Laney situation is gonna be. Neither of them do.

Link climbs out of the shower and dries off, pulling his sweats and tank top back on before brushing his teeth. He makes his way into the bedroom quietly, and Rhett’s on the bottom bunk. Link hangs up his towel before he climbs into bed with Rhett, letting Rhett immediately pull him into his arms.

“I-I don’t wanna go tomorrow,” Rhett whispers, and his voice is already shaky.

“You gotta go to class,”

Rhett shakes his head, “No, I mean the appointment. I-I don’t think I can go,”

Link takes a slow, deep breath, trying not to get himself worked up and angry. “I thought the appointment was yesterday?”

“Doctor changed it last minute to Monday,”

Link nods a bit, letting his eyes slip closed as he tries to relax in Rhett’s grasp. “I didn’t want to be here after you went to the appointment,” Link says quietly.

“Figured that’s why you went home for the weekend,”

Link nods again, humming, “Maybe you do have a brain, instead of just dashing good looks,”

Link feels Rhett squeeze him a bit, “You think I’m good looking?” He asks quietly in a teasing tone.

Link gives him a gentle smack on the arm, with no real hate behind him. “You know I do, dumbass,”

Rhett smiles a little bit, and Link can’t resist wrapping himself around Rhett’s large frame, one of his hands sneaking under his shirt to warm his fingers against Rhett’s skin.

Link knows he should say more, that they should try coming up with a solution, but for now, he holds him, and lets himself be held in return.

For a little while, everything seems a little bit perfect again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on Tumblr @beyourmythical-bitch :D


End file.
